Canadian Insta Stars Charged With Drug Smuggling

The Feed

Posted on August 31, 2016
by Amy Taeuber

The saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover and it seems the same goes for someone's life on Instagram.

On the outside, Melina Roberge and Isabelle Lagace appeared to be having the holiday of a lifetime. Bikini clad photos in exotic locations make up most of the 22 and 28-year-old's Instagram posts, but behind the smiles and sun tans it's alleged the pair were harbouring a dark secret.

The Canadian women are accused of smuggling over $30 million worth of cocaine on a cruise ship bound for Sydney.

The cruise started in Britain and visited Canada, USA, Colombia, Peru and Auckland before arriving in Australia on Sunday.

Source: Instagram

Source: Instagram

The women fronted court on Monday, along with co accused 63-year-old Andre Tamine. They're accused of attempting to smuggle 95 kg of cocaine into the country.

The pair's social media accounts showed no sign of what was about to come. According to Insta the girls experienced a relaxing few months sipping coconuts and enjoying an array of activities, including quad biking before their arrest.

Source: Instagram

ABF Regional Commander Tim Fitzgerald told AAP that the drug bust was the nation's largest ever through passenger transportation.

The women could face life imprisonment if found guilty. Their next court appearance is on October 26.